President Donald Trump's approval rating rose in the final hours of his term in office, according to one polling firm. Meanwhile, Trump may face a second impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate after he allegedly incited some of his supporters to commit violence at the U.S. Capitol building in January.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to be sworn in Wednesday. Trump declined to attend Biden's inauguration. In January, Trump was impeached by the House for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol which left 5 people dead. No date has been set for an impeachment hearing in the Senate. Despite the controversy following Trump out of office, polling data from Rasmussen Reports released on Tuesday indicated that many Americans are still in support of Trump.
As of Monday, 51 percent of those who participated in the poll gave Trump a positive approval rating. Americans that disapproved of Trump numbered 48 percent.
Trump's approval ratings indicated a rise from Monday's findings which showed a 48 percent approval rating for Trump and a 51 percent disapproval rating.
The Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll was conducted via telephone survey and online from a pool of 1,500 likely voters. The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Tuesday's Rasmussen poll may be one of the few to show high marks for Trump as he leaves office. According to a polling average from FiveThirtyEight, Trump's disapproval rating sat at 57.9 percent on Tuesday with only 38.5 percent of poll participants giving Trump a positive approval rating.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump's decision not to attend Biden's inauguration will mark the first time in 150 years that an outgoing president has not been present for the inauguration of the incoming president. Trump is expected to leave the White House on Wednesday before Biden's inauguration is slated to begin, stopping for a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before flying to his Florida residence.
At a January press conference in Delaware, Biden said it was a "good thing" that Trump chose not to attend the event and described Trump's decision as "one of the few things he and I have ever agreed on."
Impeachment trial proceedings against Trump are expected to be taken up in the Senate after Trump has left office. If the Senate votes to convict Trump, Trump would be prohibited from running for office in the future. Trump is the only U.S. president to be impeached twice.
The articles of impeachment allege that Trump incited violence against the U.S. government. Before the riot erupted, Trump gave a speech to a Stop the Steal rally in which he encouraged his supporters to walk to the Capitol as Congress voted to certify Biden's win in the Electoral College. The vote was interrupted by the rioters, forcing some lawmakers to go into hiding until the situation stabilized.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during a Tuesday floor speech that the rioters who breached the Capitol building in January were directly influenced by Trump's rhetoric.
"The mob was fed lies," McConnell said. "They were provoked by the president and other powerful people."
In a pre-taped farewell address, Trump distanced himself from the riot.
"Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans," Trump said. "It can never be tolerated."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
